Thank you all for all the recent support! I can't believe we're at 97k-- it's such a big number that I can't get my head around. Thank you again!

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Jin qing may have sounded confident to the soldier who was technically leading her to her death, but she knew even she wouldn't be able to deal with all the elite guards who would be serving Xi jian.

Guss like he was more idiotic than she anticipated, but she was still willing to try.

The first thing she noticed was the lack of the usual ceremonial respect the court usually gave her. Not everyone in the imperial court was present-- just a handful of higher-ranking officials and retired old advisors who served the late emperor.

Just great. more witnesses who are most likely against me.

Kai Feng and Shang ye were both presents on the left side of the emperor, who was giving her a cold glare as she walked down to the center of the room. The silence was thick enough to be cut with a single slash using the dagger tucked away from sight in her belt.

Jin qing smirked, standing in the center of everyone's attention. "Hello," she finally said, after a long while of silence. "Long time no see, Xi jian. You've always told me I don't need to kowtow to you, so I'll take the liberty of once again not so this time."

"Wu Xin."

She sighed. "Straight to the topic?"

"You're lucky I didn't command the guards to execute you on sight."

"On the contrary, you're lucky you didn't." Jin qing fired back. "What, or rather, who stopped you? You're not intelligent enough to make that level of decisions on your own."

Xi jian was visibly furious at her, and the easy smirk on her face clearly wasn't doing anything to ease his anger. "You're an enemy of the Wei," he snapped "And you still dare to step back into this country."

Jin qing put a hand on her chest, pretending to be shocked. "Enemy of the Wei?" She rolled her eyes. "Do the basic math, Xi jian. Assuming you're talking about the atrocities I supposedly committed, think about how old I would be back then." she sighed. "I would have been eight or so. Do you really think an eight-year-old would have been able to do all those things?"

"You? We've seen you in battle. I don't doubt it."

"Eight." Jin qing repeated. "I learned how to fight later in my life after the Liang fell. You can ask advisor Li where he found me... if he hasn't said it already." she turned to the person who had 'saved' her all those years ago. "I doubt you even remember where it is anymore."

All eyes turned to Advisor Li, the person who had supposedly been Jin qing's father this entire time. No doubt he had been questioned thoroughly after Jin qing and Huan le's secret was released to the world. He looked worse than Jin qing remembered-- both in figure and status. He no longer donned the robe of a high official and was clearly demoted.
She hoped Kai Feng's prestige saved the Li family from falling into disgrace, as she still had two unmarried sisters back at home.

Speaking of which... she hoped her bad reputation didn't cost Xue hua or Xi yan's future. Even though they weren't related by blood in the slightest, she still felt bad for them as an older-sister figure.

Advisor Li bowed deeply, holding his hands out in front of him in absolute respect. "answering your majesty: I found Wu Xin in the home of a disgraced general named Jiang Lei years ago when my carriage was attacked by bandits. As she said, I don't remember where the home is anymore."

Kai Feng stepped out from where he was standing-- unprompted, of course. "I can confirm this." He answered. "And so can every member of our family. Though father didn't inform us about the many details, I can say with confidence that it's unlikely that Wu Xin would have been able to learn martial arts at the style of the Wei if she grew up in the Liang."

A loud whisper rose in court in surprise now that there were two people defending her, but Jin qing wasn't.

The old man in the countryside used to be a respected general during a past war against then-superpower Liang. He was disgraced and discharged after making a 'disastrous mistake' that cost the Wei a victory in return for saving his entire army.

Jin qing lifted her head up. "Though Jiang Lei was crippled by the time he was discharged, he was still in a condition where he could cure my feeble body through training-- though, his wife did plenty of work nursing me back to health." she finished the sentence. "Anymore doubts? I was eight, in weak health, and stuck in a stone prison for a large portion of my time in the Liang before that now-Song General and his mother got overthrown-- but even then my time on the throne didn't last very long."

Xi jiang frowned. "Throne?"

Jin qing laughed. "Oh, Tian Xiang didn't reveal that to the world? I guess my parents didn't have the time to introduce me to the world fully before they were murdered. But yes, throne." Jin qing smiled, spreading her arms. "You're speaking to the crown princess of the Liang empire. A surprise, isn't it?"

This time, there were several voices and shouts of surprise. Jin qing had long stopped paying attention and trying to figure out what they were saying about her-- she could already guess some of the contents anyway.

"The crown princess of what empire?" Xi Jian shot back. "The Liang fell years ago. There's nothing left of that place to back you up if we imprison and execute you. We have been doing just fine without you-- and I'm sure it'll stay that way."

"It's true that there is nothing left in the Liang to back me up or even hold you accountable, but what about in the Wei?" She asked, her head tilting over to Kai Feng and Shang ye-- who hasn't spoken nor met her eyes since she walked into the hall. "You're not afraid of the people questioning your intellect if you dismiss or execute me? Im the most capable person here, and you know it."

There were no efforts to keep their voices and objections hidden now, and an anrgy shout from a minister got her attention.

"You should be grateful, you wretched soul!" He said, shaking his bony finger angrily at her. "The Wei took you in and granted you many titles, given you a place of comfort. This is how you speak to the emperor?"

Jin qing glared at him. "I earned my reputation without the want of any recognition. You're an old man, you should know how the late emperor respected my wish of secrecy. Now that the secret's out, you all might as well give me the respect I should have received all those years ago!"

His face puffed up red with anger, clearly beyond furious that she would dare talk back to him.

Xi Jian rose his voice before the minister could get another word in. "You've always told me that if I can't govern this empire myself," he started "I don't deserve to be called an emperor. And yet, what do you do when I choose to govern myself, elect officials myself, and go to war on my own accord?" He asked. "You call me an idiot. You go against all my orders. Even if I ignore your identity as Wu Xin, you can still be put to death for disobeying direct orders from the emperor!"

Jin qing was shocked.
he was still mad about her running out to save his own brother??? Even if she turned out to be right???

"You arrogant man!" She declared, staring at him in disbelief. She gestured to Shang ye "did your brother not tell you what happened? I was right! I was right about the Song attacking him, I was right about Huan Le being an enemy spy! You were the one who refused to listen!" Her head turned to silently plead with Shang ye, hoping that he would say something and defend her.

Much to her disappointment, he simply averted his eyes down to the floor and stayed quiet.

Kai Feng ignored all protocols and stood next to Jin qing. "The news about Huan le shocked everyone-- not just you, the emperor," he said, supporting Jin qing. "But past friendships with my former sister should not have clouded your better judgment against evidence."

"know your place!" Advisor Li hissed at his son, desperately trying to get him to back down.

He ignored him. "To blame Wu Xin for a crime she should have committed for the better of the Wei is absurd. All the crimes you are trying to pin on her are unreasonable and can be easily ruled out if looked at logically." He knelt and put his hands in front of him, showing some respect to the emperor. "If you would, reconsider all your thoughts and think them through calmly!"

"Li Kai Feng--"

Kai feng has always been quite the filial son so it shocked Jin qing to witness Kai Feng ignore his father for the second time-- even though it would be still suited to his style. Much to his father's horror, he stayed on the ground, unmoving.

"I wanted only to dismiss Wu xin, Li Kai Feng." Xi Jiang wanted him. "Do not test my patience or I won't hesitate to throw you into prison along with her!"

"And doom the Wei to defeat?" Jin qing answered, stepping in front of Kai Feng and lightly tapping his back to gesture him to get up-- which he ignored. "You have few capable generals left. I delayed the Song as much as I could, but Sheng Feng will attack. You will need us both to defend against him."

"We can hold our own against him--"

"Or can you?" Jin qing asked. "He's been on a charge, heading directly towards the capital relatively unopposed. The only progress you've been making is what Shang ye and Kai feng has accomplished with their expeditions." At the mention of his name, Jin qing once again looked at Shang ye for backup-- which he did not provide. "You really think so?"

"Do you really think my brother was the only one taught in military strategy? I am fully capable of leading--"

Jin qing rolled her eyes. "And yet you're still in the palace rather than on the front lines. coward. If you can't govern a country, you don't deserve to be called an emperor--"

"Wu xin--- Jin qing."

Finally, for the first time since she stepped back into the land of the Wei, Shang ye talked. All eyes turned to the silent prince.

"Yes?" Jin qing asked, frustrated that it took him this long to say something.

"Perhaps it's to your best interest that you calm down." He said those shocking words to her. "You're making the situation worse for yourself--"

Jin qing pent-up frustration exploded. "Worse for myself?!"

"That's exactly what I mean."

She didn't have the energy to respond to him anymore. She rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hand, groaning. "I am so incredibly done with this country." She mourned. "We have an arrogant fool for an emperor and a spineless prince who can't stand up for himself or for someone who saved him. And I thought you had some hope left in you."

Xi Jiang didn't give her much time to process her thoughts, as he immediately took the break in the argument to call for guards.
His personal guards.

Kai Feng immediately stood up, back to back with Jin qing. His hand was on the hilt of the sword, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

"Li Kai Feng," Xi jian warned him. "I will not condemn you for the words you have spoken today, but if you choose to defend this traitor, I will not hesitate."

Jin qing took out the knife she had tucked away, pointing it at the guards that quickly encircled her. "Kai Feng, go back." She said before he could say anything in response. "You're the only person who can keep this country alive until they crawl back to me-- if I even want to help them by then, that is."

"Are you sure?"

"I am Wu xin, the former Xue Xian of the Wei. I think I can handle some guards." She lied through the confident smirk on her face. With that, she turned in a circle, staring at the guards that had her alone surrounded and cut off from all entrances. A small chuckle left her lips, and she turned back to Xi jian one last time. "If you apologize to me now, I'll consider as if this day never happened."

"In your dreams."

Jin qing laughed. "Well then." she said, turning around. "I have places to go and things to do. Don't see me out."

And with that, she leaped onto a table and grabbed onto a hanging curtain, swinging overhead the guards, and charged toward the exit.